Reached a wall, read on

Getting through or Pushing through

I often ask a selection of grades, “How did you find the lesson?” after a class to get a little feedback about the level and content of the session. An answer I received recently was “I got through it”

While not wanting to criticise, let’s just consider the mindset and what it might tell us. I remember ‘getting through’ slow days at work and I regularly ‘get through’ a large dinner. To me, ‘getting through’ at first seemed a perfectly reasonable response, but as an instructor I’m always seeking ways to challenge your thinking as well as your skill and fitness.

Years ago I used to train at a gym. On many occasions I’d go to the gym in the rain and cold and suddenly realise my mind was completely somewhere else. I had become totally distant from what I was doing, and consequently adopted a measured pace that was simply ‘getting through’. You can see where I’m going with this! In the Dojo, I regularly set different tasks of varying duration. This means (in theory) that nothing becomes so routine that a robotic state of detachment, as described above, can develop.

This means all training can and should be conducted mindfully, i.e. focus, and determination rather than floating along and ‘getting through’ it. So how do we get this mindset? A simple way is to change the thinking to ‘pushing through’ a session. At each change in tempo, ask yourself how you feel. Can you give more? Are you sweating enough? Can you kick harder? Remember that although the instructor sets the pace and content of the class, you alone set your individual level of effort. It is essential to mentally loop back regularly and ask yourself if you can push harder. 

I solved the problem of detachment at the gym by fixing on a landmark (the amount of reps) and pushing harder until I reached a higher level. I’d then relax a little, select another and push again.

You can do the same, so long as you remind yourself to set targets. Try to reach 100% effort several times in every class, in bursts, rather than ‘getting through’ the session at a steady level of effort. Push through your previous levels of ability, and above all remember that as the tempo in a fight often changes rapidly, the ability to ‘up the game’ is an essential quality to build into your training.

Steps

We all know the feeling. You’ve been training for a while, the novelty is wearing off a bit and you’ve realised it will only get harder from now on. How can you ensure that the time you spend gives you results? In these days of instant gratification, it can be hard to keep motivated. I remember reading the following some years ago:

“The elevator to success is broken; please use the steps, one at a time”

For those seeking to realise their full potential, the following three steps will ensure continued improvement. If you can make them a habit, you will get mentally and physically stronger in the shortest possible time.

1.    Train regularly. This doesn’t mean just turning up when it’s convenient, or when you are feeling particularly good. It means sacrifice. It means dedication. It means having the character and self-discipline to put other things to one side on training nights. They belong to you. Understand that reaching the first 80% of you potential is about what you ‘give’. The last and most important 20% is more often about what you are prepared to ‘give up’.

2.    Focus. OK. so you made it to the Dojo, but if you’ve left your mind at work or at home it’s not going to be easy to focus. Concentration must be deep and long-lasting before the body and mind work together to groove movements into the nervous system, or ‘muscle memory’ if you prefer. “Train with your head, fight with your heart” sums this up best. Only by constantly striving to improve your skills with focused repetition, will you eventually reach the level where movements become instinctive.

3.    Sweat. Nature has given a marvellous way for instructors to tell who is really trying. No-one expects you to faint or throw up, that’s very old school, but sweating profusely whist training is a perfectly reasonable request. Although most karate training is done as a group, you alone are responsible for your own level of effort. A caring (?) Instructor will try their best to encourage you, but if you lack the moral fibre to step out of your comfort zone, there’s little they can do. Try to push a little harder each time you train; you will soon get stronger.

So these (in my opinion) are the three most important steps.

Once they become your normal behaviour continued improvement is far more likely and motivation will be fed by results. Obviously? Yes. Easy? No – but that’s the challenge. Only those who seek out and overcome their weaknesses can hope to reach the levels in any activity, but particularly in martial Arts.

Sensei